Musing in Manhattan

      Jett Travolta, the 16 year old son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston was found dead on Friday January 2nd in the bathtub of their Nassau, Bahamas home.  It is being reported that the 16 year old hit his head on the bathtub perhaps after or during a seizure.  An autopsy is planned for Monday in order to determine the exact cause of his death. Jett has reportedly a long history of seizures which John Travolta and Kelly Preston attribute to an illness which they say Jett was diagnosed with when he was 2 years old.  The illness is called Kawasaki disease which once a person is diagnosed with, can lead to the inflammation of the blood vessels in young children.  Preston believes that Jett contracted the illness from chemicals in household cleaners and fertilizers.  The couple put Jett through a “detoxification program”   based on the teachings from the “Church of Scientology” which both parents claim helped to improve Jett’s health.    It is not known whether Jett was ever given any medication for his seizures, but most sources believe that because of their scientologist beliefs that medications were not used.  Preston has been photographed at rallies protesting medicating young children.  The Scientology Celebrity Center has declined to comment on anything related to Jett.

      Michael McDermott, John Travolta’s corporate and commercial attorney says that friends and family members are surrounding the couple in the Bahamas and “trying to help in any way” that they can.  He followed up the statement with: “Their pain is so evident.”

      While doing research on the web regarding Jett and his illness I came across MANY articles disputing the fact that Jett suffered from Kawaski syndrome at all.  It is and has been speculated by many people that Jett Travolta was actually autistic.  There were various articles and stories that pointed to John Travolta and Kelly Preston being in denial over their son’s condition.  According to one article I found titled:  ”Hollywood, Interrupted: A Plea From Hollywood: John Travolta-Open Your Heart! dated April 10th 2006, the author stated that Scientology does not “recognize the disability (autism) let alone the myriad of therapies for treating it.”    According to the article, big time clebrities such as Sylvester Stallone and  Dan Marino (who also have children with Autism) are frustrated with what they “perceive as Travolta’s denial stemming from Scientology’s rabid hatred of psychatry and judgement of those with psychological problems as lesser humans respobsible for their own maladies.”  According to the article, admiting that Jett was autistic would be subjecting him to being labeled as a “degraded being” that brought affliction onto himself  as written in the doctrines of Scientology founder   L Ron Hubbard. Admitting that Jett has/had autism would be considered shameful.  

      I certianly do not claim to know what the truth is here.  I have always thought John Travolta was/is a wonderful actor and a really good person at heart.  He seems like a genuine family man and I would hate to think that there is any fiber of truth to the claims that the child had autism and that it was denied by both John Travolta or Kelly Preston.  If this were true, then the poor boy could have had a chance at a normal life with the proper medical care.   Either way, it is a sad day when such a young soul is taken from the world.  My heart goes out to the family.

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